Story Highlights

Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock is heading back to PBS in January, paired with Downton Abbey in a powerful one-two punch for the network's Sunday lineup.

Season 3 of Sherlock will air Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT starting Jan. 19, following the fourth season of Abbey, which returns two weeks earlier, Jan. 5 at 9, for an eight-episode run. Both British dramas are under PBS' Masterpiece umbrella.

Three 90-minute episodes of Sherlock star Cumberbatch (now in theaters as Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate) as the world-famous sleuth, and Martin Freeman as his loyal aide Dr. Watson.